Method of laundering



Patented Feb. 28, 19 28.

' ,UNITEDETSTATEIS 1,660,458 OFFICE.

JOKICHI TAKAMIN E AND OKICHI TAKAMINE, JR;, 015 PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY; CARO- LINE TAKAMINE, ADMINISTBATRIX OF SAID JOKICHI TAKAMINE, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS 'IO TAKAMINE FERMENT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

METHOD or LAUNDERING.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to an improved method of laundering.

The object of the invention is to provide a method for use in laundries for digesting, that is, liquefying and converting into soluble condition, the starch contained in the articles being laundered, or which haspre A further object of the invention is to provide a method of the nature referred to which avoids the injurious effects resulting from the use of soaps, alkalies, acids, or the like.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the mode of operation hereinafter pointed out and finally set forth in the appended claims. It is well known that starch, whether cold or cooked, is insoluble in water, therefore when an article, such, for instance, as a collar, shirt, or the like, is starched in the operation of laundering the same, alarge percentage of the starch which has been applied thereto remains therein, even after being scoured or washed. After the article has been scoured or washed new starch is again applied thereto. The: retention of a large percentage of the-original starch in the arti- 'ole results in retaining a large portion of the soil or the dirt which usually deposits on the starchy surface in the use of the article; so that'the subsequent scouring and washing operations fail to efficiently remove this retained dirt or soil because the starch on the surface of which the soil or dirt is de posited in the use of the article, is retained by the starch which remains in the article and which is not eliminated or dissolved out by the mechanical scouring of the article. After the new starch is added to the washed or scoured article, it is passed through the mangles or ironing machines, whereupon and removed with water, thereby detaching Application filed December 17; 1921-. Serial No; 523,198.

crystallization, not only of the old starch but also frequently of the new starch, takes place. This results in rendering the starched article brittle and easily broken, and the break of this brittle article occurs when the article is passed through the finishing machine, resulting in cracking, injuring, and frequently destroying the article or rendering it easily injured when the freshly starched and laundered article is again put into wearing use. i not only in the laundry industry but to the customer or user of the starched article, and results in rapidly destroying the starched article as everyone knows from experience.-

. Various attempts have been made to overcome this objection by the use of soaps, alkalies, acids, and other chemicals. The use of such materials and substances however, is objectionable not only because of the expense involved, but also because 'of the in- 'j-urious effects thereof upon the fiber of the fabric being laundered,

-Among the various eflorts made in the laundry trade 'to'overcome the objections noted it has been proposed to employ malt extracts in the endeavor to liquefy and rendersoluble the starch contained in the articles to be laundered. The use of malt extracts however for this purpose is objectionable, not only because of the large quantities thereof required, which renderssuch use expensive, but also for the reason that This is a serious bane the malt extracts are slow in action, and

' article in such manner that the malt extracts employed are unable to effectively detach or remove it, since malt extracts do not possess proteolytic or proteoclastic properties but.

only diastatic or starch liquefying proper ties.

It is among the special purposes of our present invention to employ in the laundering operation a method whereby not only is the starch contained in an article to be laundered liquefied and converted into soluble condition whereby it may be dissolved out or releasing any soil, dirt, or the like, which has become deposited on the starchy surface of such article and retained thereon by ad herence to the starch, but also which liqueiies or renders soluble any gums, oils, pectin, or other substances contained in or adhering to the fabric, or the fibers thereof, and which likewise act to retain deposits of dirt, soil, and the like, received in the wear of the article, and reduces such gums, oils, etc., to a condition which enables them to be washed out or removed, or to release any deposit of soil or dirt whichmay have become attached thereto or retained thereby. Therefore our invention contemplates the use of a substance which possesses proteolyticas well as diastatic powers, and which reduces not only the starch material contained in or applied to the surface of the article to be laundered ,to a liquefied, and therefore soluble condi tion, but which also reduces the gummy, oily, or the like, substances, contained in or applied to the article to be laundered to acondition whichrenders them soluble in water, whereby the deposited soil, dirt, or the like, upon the surface of the article, or retained thereon, may become detached and easily removed, merely with the use of water, and generally without the necessity for using soaps, alkalies, acids, or other chemicals.

In carrying out our invention we employ a substance which is of vegetable fungus origin, and which possesses various enzymic powers, including diastatic, proteolytic, and others. In this manner the soil or dirt deposit is detached and freed from the fabric, or the surface thereof, and can be easily and readily washed olf or removed with water. This eliminates or reduces the useof soap, lye, or alkali. By rendering soluble the material which retains, the dirt, soil, or other deposit, the removal of such dirt,v soil, orv other deposit is then eflected mechanically by washing and rubbing in water. Thus the dirt, soil, or other deposit, is removed by chemically changing the characterv of the substances which serve to anchor the dirt,

soil, or other deposit. Consequently, the necessity for hard rubbing or washing is avoided, thereby eliminating the wear on the fabric or article to be laundered, and hence extending the life of such article. Moreover, the fabric'itself is in no manner injured or harmed. Great labor is saved, and therefore great economy in the laundering operation is secured.

The following is one illustrative example of the use of our method for laundering. In a a washing machine having a capacity of, say,

800 collars or 100 shirt's, 1. The articles to be laundered are. soaked in cold water for a period of about five minutes, and the water is then discharged.

2. The articles are then. soaked for about ten minutes in about three inches of water,

naaaaae at a temperature of 4:50. or 110 F, to which water five ounces of the enzymic substances have been added, and the water again discharge-d.

3.. The second step may then be repeated for a period of about fifteen minutes, and then the water discharged.

4. The articles are then rinsed for three minutes in hot water.

5. The articles are then bleached for ten minutes. i

6. The articles are then successively rinsed three times of three minutes each, in warm water.

'i'. The articles are then blued, starched, and ironed, as usual.

' The above operation will vary according to the nature of the articles. For example,

for semistarch work, the third step may be omitted, and, if desired, soap may be used during the fifth step.

lit will be observed that the high temper: atures ordinarily required when the usual soap, washing powder, alkalies, and other methods are employed, is avoided.

As above described the enzymic substance attacks the starch as well as gums, oils, or the like, contained in, or which have been applied to the articles under treatment, and

reduces the same to a condition in which they become readily soluble in water, and causes them to release their retention of the soil, dirt, or other deposit, upon the surface of the article, thereby permitting the soil, dirt, or the like, to be easily and readily -removed without the necessity for the laborious operation of scrubbing, and merely by the use of warm, and even tepid water, with out heavy labor, without injury to the fabric, or article, being laundered, and the operation is effected most economically and quickly, thereby greatly increasing the capacity of the laundry.

' We have discovered that the enzymic product penetrates the fibers of the articles.

in ten to' fifteen minutes at a temperature of 110 F. to 120 F.,'and performs its work a of transforming the starch, gums, etc., which act as anchors for the deposit of soil, dirt, and. the like, into a condition which renders them soluble in water, and hence permits the easy and ready removal of all of the soil, dirt, or other deposit. flVe have also made the important discovery that the enzymic product in performing its work is v not affected by the hardness of the water,

which is a' great disadvantage in the usual soap methods of laundering.

While we have specified certain limits-of.

time of operation in carrying out our method, we do not desire to be restricted in this respect, since no deleterious effects result I from exposing the articles to the action of the enzymic solution in water for longer pe riods of time than those stated. On the contrary we have discovered that the enzymic action of the product upon the articles being laundered serves to strengthen the fibers of the fabric of such articles.

After the starch, gummy, oily, or other substance, contained in or applied to the article has been rendered soluble by the ac tion of the enzymic substance, thereby releasing the adhering action exerted thereby upon deposit of soil, dirt, or the like, the latter may be easily removed in water with very little mechanical rubbing, and hence the arduous labor of the laundering operation is very largely reduced or eliminated. Not only does this reduce the toil and labor of the laundering operation, but also prolongs very materially and substantially the useful life of the laundered article.

We have discovered that a suitable blue dye material may be added to the enzymic substance without deleterious effects, and whereby at least partial blueing of the articles is accomplished at the same time the enzymic substance is accomplishing its transforming action upon the starch, gums, and other constituents of the articles under treatment. j

We have also discovered that it is desirable to add a suitable perfume, and have found artificial musk a suitable substance" for this purpose, to impart a pleasing odor to the articles being laundered, while at the same time securing a slight preserving effect upon the enzymic substance. This perfume element does not affect the enzymic strength or properties of the enzymicsubstance.

The enzymic substance which we employ is obtained in accordance with our invention by propagating'a'vegetable fungus upon a suitable culture medium. Various culture media may be employed. We have found wheat bran, corn bran, starch, middlings, corn meal, sawdust, and the like, will answer the purpose for a culture medium. The culture medium is firststerilized by steaming, and to the sterilized mass the matured seed spores of the desired vegetable fungus is added. The seed spores of various vegetable fungi may be used. -We have found the matured seed spores of Aspergillus org 2w suitable for our purposes, but, of course, we have tried and found other fungi satisfactory, and therefore we do not desire to be limited in this respect.- After the mass of culture medium has been inoculated with the matured seed spores of the desired vegetable fungus, the mass is maintained under proper conditions of temperature, humidity, and ventilation, to enable the fungus to sprout and grow, and attain its maximum of enzymic power. We have found a temperature of about that of the body, and a.. moist condition of the air, and ventilation to prevent overheating, suitable for our purposes,

and we have found that an incubating period of fromthirty to fifty hours ordinarily is sufficient for the fungus to attain and acquire its maximum enzymic power. this stage of the growth of the fungus is at tained the growth is arrested. The resulting mass is called koji, and may be used di-v rectly in the manner above described. In practice, however, the mass of culture medium with the fungus propagated thereon is percolated with water, which dissolves and detaches the enzymic substances from the mass. The resulting'liquor may then be employed in our laundering method. If desired, however, this liquor may be strengthened by using the same to percolate successive vfresh batches of the koji mass, or it may be concentrated by evaporation to the desired consistency, the evaporation, however, must be accomplished at a sufficiently low temperature to avoid injuring the enzymic powers. If desired, the liquor may be filtered to remove any foreign or deleterious or fermenting bacteria, which may become detached and removed from the koji mass along with the enzymic product.

The liquor or extract obtained as above described, is liableto become decomposed or to ferment by reason of the presence therei-nof decomposing or fermenting bacteria extracted along with it from the koji mass. In order to render the extract stable we prefer to employ a suitable antiseptic, and have foundthat phenol or chloroform is a suitable preservative.

If desired, the liquor or extract may .be precipitated with alcohol or ammonium, ammonium sulphate, or 'commonsalt, and the precipitate filtered and dried, and used for the purposes of our invention.

In the use of the dye adjunct of the enzymic product it is among the purposes of our invention to impart a characteristic appearance to the enzymic product to distin-' gush it for use in the laundry industry, therefore just sufiicient dye is added to impart the proper color, and not enough to impart to the laundered article the desired or usual bluish tint which is derived from the When A use of bluing. So, too, with the aromatic own invention and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is, H A

1. The process of laundering starched and other goods which comprises immersing the-i= I goods in cold water for a brief interval of time, then subjecting the goods so treated in tepid Water, containing enzymes of vegetable fungus origin and possessing diastatio and proteolytic powers and then removing 5 the Water and contained enzymes and finally rinsing the goods With hot Water.

2. The method of laundering which e0nsists in subjecting the articles to he iaundered to the action of diastatic and proteonoeoaea iytie enzymes in Water solution at a tempen w ature of 110 degrees to 120 degrees said solution containing an aromatic substance.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands on this 30th day of November A. D. 1921.

JOKICHI TAKAMINED JOKIOHI TAKAMINE, JR. 

